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Forgiveness is Not Optional

Russ — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:45:19 +0000

For the follower of Jesus, forgiveness is not optional.

Because of the Cross of Jesus, we have all lost our excuse for not forgiving others.

Ephesians 4:31–32 (ESV)
³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Paul addresses the causes of unforgiveness and addresses bitterness, wrath, anger and malice. What are we to do with all of these causes of unforgiveness?

Stop it! Get rid of it!

Often our response is, “I can’t get rid of it!” ”If I get rid of it, I will lose an excuse!” or, “I would get rid of it, but I don’t know how!” God is trying to cover all the junk and all the causes of the junk that leads to an inability to forgive. At the heart of redemption is forgiveness! At the heart of the health and wellbeing of all our relationships is the issue of forgiveness!

You can get rid of all this stuff by forgiving one another!!

Pastor Andy Stanley states there are three important things to understand about forgiveness:

1. It is a decision you make.

We are commanded to forgive.

2. It is making a decision that someone doesn’t owe you anymore.

When we are hurt, there is a sense something has been taken from you.

It could be tangible–It Could be intangible.

3. Forgiveness is a decision to cancel that debt.

The result is being FREE!

Forgiveness really doesn’t make any sense unless you are a forgiven person.

As Christians, we are forgiven by God through Jesus Christ! We have been completely forgiven of our sin. Has forgiveness ever become personal for you? The degree of which you understand your forgiveness is the degree to which you will feel freed up to forgive those who have hurt you. If its not personal, there will be no forgiveness for others. ”just as God forgave you”

Matthew 18:21–22 (ESV)
²¹Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²²Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Is there someone you need to forgive?

Five Reasons we are launched Church at the Grove Social Circle

Russ — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:20:10 +0000

Our Social Circle campus pastor Nathan Boyd (via Perry Noble) shared this with our launch team a few months back in preparation for launching our second campus in Social Circle. We must continue to advance the gospel through church planting and multiplying movements!

1. Because we understand that found people find people…and we will not stop doing whatJesus commanded us to do.

Matthew 28:18-20- “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.”
Matthew 9:35-38 – “When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”

2. Because we understand that saved people serve people…and we will not stop doing what the Bible commands of us.

1 Peter 4:10 – “Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
Matthew 20:28 – “…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

3. Because we understand that growing people change…and we will not stop praying for Jesus to change us.

Psalm 139:23-24 – “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

4. Because we understand that we can’t do life alone…and we will obey what the Lord has instructed us to do in Hebrews 10:24-25.

Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9 – “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.”

5. Because we understand that we cannot out give God…and so we will obey what God’s Word teaches.

Malachi 3:6-12- ‘”Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the LORD Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Proverbs 3:9-10- “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine

The Hidden Life of a Leader

Russ — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:57:50 +0000

God often takes us into a dessert experience to do a deep work in private before he performs a broad work through us in public.

A life that is characterized by spiritual depth is most often cultivated in time spent in solitude, quietness and obscurity.

Paul experienced this dessert obscurity and solitude immediately following his Damascus Road conversion.

Galatians 1:15–18 (ESV)
¹⁵But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, ¹⁶was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.

Paul spent 3 years in dessert obscurity for the purpose of preparing him for the ministry to which Jesus had called him.

I am reading Paul: A Man of Grace and Grit by Charles Swindoll, and I cannot remember EVER being taught about Paul’s 3 year journey into the dessert. Why did he spend 3 years in the dessert prior to his public ministry?

Before we answer why, let’s take a look at who else spent time in obscurity before their ministry went public:

Moses fled to the plains of Midian and tended sheep for 40 years before God used him to free the Israelites from Egypt.
David spent 13 years as a fugitive in the caves of Engedi where many of his Psalms were born before assuming the throne of Israel he was anointed for when he was a boy.
Joseph spent time in jail unjustly accused in Egypt before he ascended to a place of authority that would allow God to use him to protect his family from famine.
Elijah spent time hiding in the wilderness being fed by ravens.
John the Baptist ate locust and honey for most of his ministry. He announced the public ministry of the Messiah and he was beheaded as a reward for going public with the truth of a political leader.

Here are 3 areas that God often works on while we are in the dessert:

God often desires to forge in us a work of lasting transformation and character. To do the work of God in ministry we must have a heart for people, we must craft our theology and we need to cultivate an identity solely in Christ.
Often it takes time to discover what REALLY matters. In the dessert experience we learn that to be great leaders we must lead in areas that truly matter to God!
When we are so busy and fixing everyone else at breakneck speed, we simply can’t hear God’s voice clearly. God takes us into solitude in order to slow down, get quiet and listen to his still, small voice.

I spent some time in the dessert under a pastor that lacked integrity and leadership. It was in that experience that I learned to depend on God. My relationship with my wife grew stronger during this time as we leaned into God and one another.

The church I planted and now pastor went through a very difficult period two years into the plant. It was a bit of a dessert experience where I learned what really mattered.

Have you spent some time in the dessert? What did you learn?

Gravity is not good for the soul

Russ — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:37:38 +0000

The older I get (no jokes, comments, or making fun of me please!) the more gravity wreaks havoc on my body!

Things sag where they didn’t before, clothes don’t fit the same and all of that, BUT the biggest difference is related to exercise and fitness activity. I have never been able to jump extremely high or run exceptionally fast or for extreme long distances, but the older I get, the STINKIN’ less I can do anything without killing me!

I have tried to reverse the process with adding P90x to my regular routine, but it is harder and harder the older I get.

It all comes down to gravity weighing the ole’ body down! I feel the weight more than ever on my body and the body feels good for nothing!!!!!

Isn’t that the way it is with us spiritually? The more weight we carry spiritually, emotionally, and relationally, the less we feel capable of being loved by God and we feel less capable of being used by God.

GOD WANTS US FREE FROM JUNK THAT CONTINUES TO WEIGH US DOWN!

Read Hebrews 12:1-2 here.

I talk to people that have turned to follow Christ and they inevitably say, “Yeah, I trusted Christ to forgive me for my sins, BUT……….THAT IS A BIG BUT! They always refer to something that keeps them from living free!

Either he forgave us or He didn’t. The same work that Christ did on the cross to forgive us from our sins is the same work He did to remove the baggage and free us from the baggage that weighs us down. GRAVITY WREAKS HAVOC ON THE SOUL!

God does not want….nor did He intend for you to carry baggage for the rest of your life! We are not built to carry sin, shame, guilt…..whatever it is, into eternity. I say get rid of it now.

I want to jump higher….run faster….dance more freely! God wants that for me too!

The Body can be good for something!

Jesus came to free us from the baggage…….

Let’s Keep Growing: 3 ways for Church at the Grove to continue to grow!

Russ — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:26:31 +0000

We have experienced enormous blessing over the last year and specifically over this past month as we have launched our new campus in Social Circle! We continue to see new people added to both our campuses this month! We are growing and it is exciting!

Here is my BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL and desire for Church at the Grove right now! Are you ready?!

Let’s keep growing! Yeah, I said it! Let’s keep growing and here are the specific areas I want us to focus on growing:

Let’s keep growing numerically!

I will never apologize for wanting and desiring our church to grow numerically. Do a word study in the book of Acts on the word “numbers” and you will see that Luke records over and over when people were added to the church. If our mission is to lead people to follow Jesus and Make Disciples then we should be adding people.
I want to see 100 people baptized this year! There, I said it! I believe it can happen.
I believe that we can average over 500 people in attendance by September this year!

Let’s grow spiritually!

I want us to have more people reading their Bibles daily.
I want to have more people engaged in serving their community.
I want to have more people being transformed into the image of Jesus in every area of their life.
I want to see more people sharing the gospel with their family and friends.
I want to see more people investing in people and inviting them to our Sunday CATGrove gatherings.
I want to hear about more families having a nightly family devotional/prayer time.
I want more marriages to grow stronger and healthier.
I want to see more people involved in Community Group Bible Study.

Let’s grow relationally!

I would love to set a record this fall for how many people are involved in Community Groups.
I challenge you to make more time to simply develop your friendships and relationships this year.
Make time for people.
Come early and stay a little late on Sundays so you can have a conversation with some people you don’t know that well.
Plan to get to know some of our newer attendees over this next month!
Remember, we are about PEOPLE!

I love Jesus! I love what He is doing. I love Church at the Grove!

Don’t Give Up; Think Long!

Russ — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:10:38 +0000

In February of 2008 I was ready to quit.

We had planted Church at the Grove in September 2006 and had an exciting launch and quick growth in the first year and a half. There were several disappointing circumstances at the end of 2007 that led some families to leave the church. Our attendance was stagnant and I was simply tired and discouraged. Our financial support would be ending later in the year and the numbers did not add up for us to be self-sustaining. I spent some time on more than one occasion looking at the classifieds in the paper thinking I could get a “regular” job and be a great volunteer leader to a pastor somewhere.

I called one of my most encouraging friends, Mike Linch, pastor of NorthStar Church in northwest Cobb County where I had served almost 5 years as student pastor. I knew Mike understood what I was going through after planting NorthStar several years earlier. He shared with me some of the ups and downs he personally had experienced and then gave some simply, yet profound advice.

Don’t Give Up! Hang in there! Give it some time! Think Long!

I listened and God has blessed my “Thinking Long”! I am in this for the long haul! I love church planting! I love Church at the Grove. I intend to honor God and spread the gospel through a long term commitment to a local church that plants churches!

I am reading Mark Batterson’s book, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around your Biggest Dreams and Biggest Fears. In the book Batterson issues a challenge to “Think Long” in our prayers, dreams and ambition to see God move.

He states,

“We live in a quick-fix, real-time culture. Between the news ticker and Twitter, we’re always in the know, always in the now. We don’t just want to have our cake and eat it too; we want the instant brand. We want to reap the second after we sow, but this isn’t the way it works with dreaming big and praying hard. We need the patience of the planter. We need the foresight of the farmer. We need the mindset of the sower.”

Batterson goes on to tell this incredible story about “Thinking Long”:

“On the Swedish island Visingsö, there is a mysterious forest of oak trees; mysterious because oak trees aren’t indigenous to the island, and its origin was unknown for more than a century. Then in 1980, the Swedish Navy received a letter from the Forestry Department reporting that their requested ship lumber was ready. The Navy didn’t even know it had ordered any lumber. After a little historical research, it was discovered that in 1829, the Swedish Parliament, recognizing that it takes oak trees 150 years to mature and anticipating a shortage of lumber at the turn of the twenty-first century, ordered that 20,000 oak trees be planted on Visingsö and protected for the Navy. That is thinking long. For the record, the lone objector was the Bishop of Strängnäs. He didn’t doubt that there would still be wars to fight at the end of the twentieth century, but he was the only one who anticipated that ships might be built of other materials by then.”

Chances are some pastors and church planters reading this might be in the midst of some discouragement and doubt about continuing on. Listen:

Don’t give up! Hang in there! Give it some time! Think Long!

Forgotten Heroes

Russ — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:16:14 +0000

Most of us are familiar with the powerful story of the Apostle Paul’s conversion. He is on the road to Damascus in route to persecute more followers of Jesus when he is surprised by a bright light and an unfamiliar voice. He is blinded and was led to Damascus where he stayed for 3 days without sight, food or water.

Enter the forgotten hero!

Ananias is mentioned simply as a disciple of Jesus and God speaks to him in a vision. Acts 9:10-12

Ananias responded in obedience to what would have been the more modern equivalent of making a visit to ”Adolph Hitler” for the purpose of laying on hands and giving sight back. Ananias was skeptical but made the walk and carried out his small part in the miraculous transformation of a former 1st Century terrorist.

Ananias played a small but vital part in the sovereign plan of God to use the Apostle Paul to spread the Gospel!

Ananias has been called one of the forgotten heroes of the faith.

Forgotten heroes are those that play seemingly small roles in Kingdom Advancement but in reality their roles are indispensable in the Kingdom of God!

Who are the Ananias’s of our day?

Those that setup and breakdown in a church plant.
Those that hold and take care of babies so young couples can hear the gospel.
Those that quietly serve the sick, hospitalized and troubled behind the scenes.
Those that serve and teach our children on Sundays in an age appropriate setting where they can hear the gospel.
Those that help and serve the poor in a community but never get notoriety nor want it.
Those that love on our teenagers weekly in our student worship environment.
Those that count money, stuff envelopes and lick stamps.
Those that pull trailers, swing hammers and replace broken things.
Those that run sound, cameras and edit video.

I could go on and on and on…….

I am thankful for the forgotten heroes in my life and in the life of Church at the Grove! We could not do it without you!

Are you willing to be a forgotten hero?

Great Launch in Social Circle; Let’s take the PLUNGE!

Russ — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:47:54 +0000

I am so thankful for the people that God has put in place to lead CATGrove forward in our mission to lead people to follow Jesus and Make Disciples!

We have launched another campus in Social Circle!

This past Sunday we launched our Social Circle Campus with 95 people in attendance at Social Circle Middle School! Wow! Praise God for His faithfulness in seeing this dream become a reality.

I am so thankful for all the people that have invested so much energy and time making this campus in Social Circle possible. Nathan’s strong leadership has been a blessing in making this launch possible. I am thankful for all of the leaders and volunteers that have invested so much time and effort to get us going in Social Circle.

I am so excited about our new teaching series “PLUNGE” that began this past Sunday! We will address each one of our “ministry filters” or “core values” over these six weeks.

Here are our ministry filters:

Biblical Faith

Persuasive Compassion

Missional Responsibility

Authentic Relationships

Intentional Simplicity

Faithful Stewardship

This past Sunday: The Word of God is a revelation of Himself and when we see Him as He is, we are transformed.

Join us as we journey through the Bible at www.youversion.com Essential 100 Bible reading plan! Go here to see it: http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/the-essential-100/settings

Martin Luther said, “The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold on me.”

Let’s commit to reading and applying God’s Word on a daily basis.

I am so excited about what God is doing in and through Church at the Grove! Please continue to invest your life into the lives of others in our community! Let’s continue to move forward with the mission God has set forth for us.

I love you and I am praying for you.

New Launch in Social Circle! Let’s Go!

Russ — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:22:10 +0000

Everybody’s Welcome, Nobody’s Perfect, Anythings Possible

Everybody’s Welcome
Jesus was the perfect example/model of compassion for others. Jesus accepted and demonstrated love toward the unacceptable and unlovable of His day. Everybody was welcome to come to Him. He encountered prostitutes, Samaritans, tax collectors, gentiles, lepers or sinners of all kinds. In Matthew 9 we see that Jesus saw these people as sheep scattered without a shepherd and he had compassion on them.

My prayer is that Church at the Grove will be a community that has the same heart for people that Jesus demonstrated in the scriptures. We welcome people to journey with us even if they don’t agree with all we believe. We have created an environment where people can explore faith and their own pace hopefully experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus as they participate in our community of faith.

Nobody’s Perfect
We are all in need of forgiveness. Paul tells the Romans that “we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. One of the core values we aspire to is “authentic relationships”. Because we are ALL in need of forgiveness there is no sense of spiritual superiority. We dream of a community at Church at the Grove where there is no need for hiding, no need for wearing masks, no need to impress anyone because we are all saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

Anything’s Possible
Jesus believed in people like the fisherman Peter. Although he was impulsive, haughty and often would stick his foot right in his mouth, Jesus saw something in this uneducated fisherman that led Him to invest into Peter’s life in such a way that the world would ultimately be impacted by Peter’s leadership. Peter was the most significant leader during the birth of the early church.

God has called us at Church at the Grove to invest into the lives of people with the attitude and belief that “anything is possible”. We are to see people through the eyes of Jesus and roll up our sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the gospel into the lives of those “least likely to go to church”.

That is why we stepped out on faith over 5 years ago to launch a gathering in Walnut Grove AND that is why we take another step of faith today to launch a gathering in Social Circle. This is an outpost on the landscape of our mission field where the Word of God can be taught and the gospel proclaimed. Let’s go! May God bless our obedience to Him and draw people to Himself as we lift up the name of Jesus Christ!

Keep praying, Keep investing, Keep Inviting!

Russ

This Week at the Grove

Russ — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:33:45 +0000

Mid-Week Video Email 11.17.11 from Church at the Grove on Vimeo.